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About Windows to the Universe

The Windows to the Universe website is a richly interlinked ecosystem for learning about the
Earth and Space sciences for use by the general public, students, and teachers.
Windows to the Universe has been in development since 1995. The project started, with support from NASA for a proposal submitted by Dr. Roberta Johnson, Director of Windows to the Universe, to NASA while she was on the Research Faculty at the University of Michigan's Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences. In 2000, Dr. Johnson moved with the project to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), where she continued development on the project with the Windows to the Universe team on numerous grants and contracts over the past decade. In 2010, website management and ownership moved to the National Earth Science Teachers Association, where we will be expanding opportunities to collaborate with the project - with the hope that it becomes a platform for Earth and space science education globally.

Our goal is to build an internet site that includes a rich
array of documents, including images, movies, animations, and
data sets, that explore the Earth and Space sciences and the
historical and cultural ties between science, exploration, and the
human experience. Our site is appropriate for use in libraries, museums, schools, homes, and the workplace. Students and teachers may find the site especially helpful in their studying (and teaching!) Earth and Space sciences. Because we have users of all ages, the site is written in three reading levels approximating elementary, middle school and high school reading levels. These levels may be chosen by using the upper button bar of each page of the main site.

We include updates to Windows
to the Universe on a regular basis, so we invite you to revisit
the site regularly to see our resources grow and change. We are
very interested in your comments and suggestions for the site, and
we encourage you to use our comments
form to pass your ideas on to
us. Continue exploring the Windows to the Universe site or find out more about the Windows to the Universe project by looking at our initial proposal or by using the links below.

If Windows to the Universe is an important resource for you, we invite you to become a member, which will give you access to members-only services and opportunities. At present, we are only offering Educator Membership, but plan to offer other forms of membership in the next few months.

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